Drain tile laying apparatus



Jan. 14, 1969 .1. D. SCHMUNK 3,421,609

DRAIN TILE LAYING APPARATUS Filed Sept. 19, 1966 INVENTOR. JOHN D. ScHmUN K BY A gzflbYw United States Patent 7 Claims This invention relates to tile laying apparatus, such for example as for laying clay drain tile in a trench in orderly formation and of the type that typically can be hauled by the trenching machine and ride along the bottom of the freshly formed ditch.

An object is to produce a new and improved apparatus of this character to which tile are delivered for example by hand to form a row, the individual tile of which advance to a chute establishing a vertically disposed column which are individually discharged into the trench in a row where the tile may be snugly arranged together or, if desired, a predetermined spacing between adjacent tile may be achieved by simple adjustment which can be made during the travel of the apparatus.

Another object is to provide apparatus of this character with weighted means for traveling over the tile in the trench to insure proper alignment of the tile and, when desired, to maintain predetermined spacing between adjacent tile.

A further object is to provide such apparatus with an arrangement on which the tile may be originally placed by hand and over which the tile gravitate to the chute, thereby enabling the operator after having delivered a number of tile thereto, to perform other tasks without interfering with the orderly tile feeding operation.

A still further object is to produce an adjustable tilting tray over which the tile travel and which determines the amount of spacing, if any, between adjacent tile in the trench.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and, for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown on the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a rear end perspective view of the tile laying apparatus;

FIGURE 2 is a diagrammatic view of a portion of the platform on which the tile is advanced to the vertical chute and showing the detent which acts as a retarder for the top of the tile so that the latter does not tip excessively toward the backing wheels;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 but showing the foremost tile tipped slightly toward the adjacent backing roll with a portion engaging the foremost idler roll on the platform and before the tile falls into the chute;

FIGURE 4 is a diagrammatic view showing the tilt tray lying flat so that the tile are moved into engagement with each other;

FIGURE 5 is a view somewhat similar to FIGURE 4 but showing the tilt tray adjusted to cause angle delivery of the tile to effect spacing between adjacent tile; and

FIGURE 6 is a view somewhat similar to FIGURE 5 but showing that the spacing between the adjacent tile is maintained by the weighted wheels which prevent the tile from crowding together.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a tile laying apparatus for laying drain tile in a trench which has previously been excavated. As shown, the apparatus comprises an upright frame 10, having a vertical part 11 and a bottom horizontally disposed part 12 and an upper horizontal platform 13. The apparatus is dragged along a trench which is suggested by the lines F-F' in FIGURE 1 and may be hauled by a trenching machine "ice (not shown) through, for example, a universal tow hitch H and a chain C.

The horizontal platform part 13 has a series of relatively closely spaced transverse idler rollers 14, which provide the floor of the platform and on which the tile T are manually placed in a row in upright position. For holding the tile T in position on the platform 13 guide rails 13a are provided on opposite sides. The platform 13 inclines downwardly from its rear end, an angle of the order of nine degrees being found to be satisfactory so that the tile T will gravitate from left to right of the figure toward a downwardly and rearwardly inclined or curved chute 15.

The chute 15 is equipped with a replaceable stainless steel wear track 16 over which the tile travel. At the upper end portion of the chute are laterally spaced guide panels 17 and at the lower portion of the chute are laterally spaced guide rails 18, which insure the desired gravir tational movement of the tile from the platform 13 to the lower end of the chute from which the tile are discharged to the trench. Above the chute 15 is a pair of vertically spaced backing wheels 19, which may be of rubber, and directly below the front end of the series of idler rollers 14 is a backing wheel 20, which is on the opposite side of the chute to the backing wheels 19, the wheel 20 being disposed below the lowermost backing wheel 19.

The foremost tile T on the platform 13 engages a retarder detent in the form of a bail 21 which is pivoted to bracket arms 22 arranged above the uppermost backing wheel 19. As shown, the free ends of the bail are hook shaped, as indicated at 23. The retarder detent acts to engage the upper end portion of the foremost tile on the platform so that the latter does not tip excessively toward the uppermost backing wheel 19, where it would otherwise lodge with the trailing bottom edge of the tile still on the idler roll 14. This insures that the tile will drop properly into the chute 15 to form the column of tile therein.

The platform 13 is supported at its outer or rear end by a pair of laterally spaced diagonally disposed tubular braces 24, the lower ends of which are fixed as by welding to the guide rails 18 respectively and the upper ends of which are fixed to the rear end of the platform 13.

At the lower end of the chute 15 and over which the tile pass to the trench is a tilting tray 25, which has a fiat bottom wall and laterally spaced upright side walls 26, to which are fixed rearwardly extending guide or shield panels 27 which serve as guides for the tile passing therebetween. The bottom horizontal frame part 12 has spaced upright side panels 28 arranged in laterally spaced relation. The rear ends of the panels 28 have lower upwardly and rearwardly inclined edges 29, as shown on FIGURE 1 and the forward ends of the tilt tray side walls 26 have downwardly and forwardly inclined edges 30 to fit generally the edge portions 29, thereby to enable the tilting tray to dispose itself in juxtaposed relation to the lower end of the chute 15. Rigid with and rising vertically from the rear end portions of the side walls 26 are bracket arms 31, to which the lower ends of a yoke 32 are pivoted. The upper end of the yoke 32 is connected by a turnbuckle 33 to an angle iron 34, which extends across and is fixed at its ends to the upper end portion of the tubular braces 24.

As shown, a line stabilizing and space maintaining weight 35 is provided with a bail handle 36. The weight 35 rests upon a cross bar 37, which spans the horizontal portion of an angled yoke member 38. At the outer end of the horizontal portion of the yoke are rubber wheels 39, which are suitably beveled to straddle and ride along the tile. A post 37' is fixed at its lower end to the bar 37 and extends loosely through a hole in the weight 35, thereby to retain the weight in position. When the apparatus is not in use the weight 35 can be lifted off its support.

The forward end portion of the yoke 38 inclines upwardly and forwardly and the upper end engages a transverse rod 40, which is carried by the upper end portion of a vertical yoke 41. The lower end of the yoke 41 is pivoted to brackets 42, which extend upwardly from the rear ends of the main frame side panel 28. Fixed to the cross bar of the yoke 41 is an upwardly inclined bar 43, the upper portion of which is offset to lie adjacent close to one of the braces 24. The bar 43 constitutes a handle which can be shifted to any one of three positions. The intermediate position, as shown by solid lines, is arranged between pegs 44 in the respective brace 24 and in that position the weighted rollers 39 are properly positioned for regular tile spacing. By moving the handle 43 to the left of FIGURE 1 and against a peg 45 in the same brace, the weighted rollers 39 are then moved to a position where no spacing betwen the tile is required. Finally, the handle 43 may be moved forwardly into engagement with a peg 46 on the respective brace 24 and when in this position a coil spring brake is applied to a lower tile in the chute to halt further gravitating movement of the tile column. As shown, the brake comprises a wishbone frame 47, which is fixed to and extends forwardly of the yoke 41 and carries a transversely disposed helical coil spring 48, which may be pressed against the lower tile of the column to hold it from further gravitational movement.

It will be understood that by adjustment of the turnbuckle 33, which can be effected when the apparatus is in use or is idle, the tilting tray 25 may be moved from a flat position in full ground engagement, such as indicated on FIGURE 4, to a position, such as shown on FIGURE 6*, which causes angle delivery of the tile passing thereover to create a space between adjacent tile. The space between adjacent tile is maintained by the weighted wheels 39 which prevent crowding together of the tile from the thrust of the column of tile in the chute 15. Since the weighted wheels 39 partially straddle the tile, they also insure proper alignment of the trailing tile line and hold the tile firmly in the groove in the trench. The tilting tray 25 may produce different spacings between the tile, for example from a snug tile fit to a three-eighths inch spacing, dependent upon the amount of tilt imparted to the tray in response to manipulation of the turnbuckle 33.

Numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement and operation may be effected without departing from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claims.

WhatI claim is:

1. Tile laying apparatus comprising an upright frame adapted to be hauled along a tile-receiving trench, a downwardly and rearwardly inclined chute on said frame and along which a column of tile are adapted-to gravitate, a platform at the upper end of said chute, and arranged horizontally over which tile are advanced to said chute, a tray adjacent the lower end of and separate from said chute and over which tile travel after leaving the chute, means to adjust said tray for varying the spacing between adjacent tile delivered to the trench, and means to engage the tile in the trench and militate against adjacent tile crowding together due to the thrust of tile in the chute.

2. Tile laying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said platform is inclined downwardly toward said chute and tile are arranged thereon in vertical position, whereby tile are automatically fed by gravity, said apparatus comprising detent means for engaging the foremost tile on said platform to cause same to drop vertically into said chute and militate against excessive tilting of same with the trailing bottom edge still in engagement with said platform.

3. Tile laying apparatus as claimed in claim 2 comprising a series of rollers constituting the floor of said platform, and backing wheels disposed laterally of the upper end of said chute to insure proper delivery of the tile from said platform to said chute.

4. Tile laying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which the tray adjusting means comprises means to tilt the trailing end of said tray relative to said chute in an upward direction to cause spacing of an oncoming tile with respect to the next adjacent tile discharged from the apparatus.

5. Tile laying apparatus as claimed in claim 1 in which said tile engaging means comprises a weighted roller riding over the tile delivered to the trench.

6. Tile laying apparatus as claimed in claim 5 comprising lever means shiftable for disposing said weighted roller to a position at which the tile are in juxtaposition and to a position at which tile are spaced from each other thereby to prevent the tile from crowding together and to insure alignment of the trailing tile line.

7. Tile laying apparatus as claimed in claim 6 comprising a brake on said lever means which when the latter is shifted to a predetermined position engages a tile in the lower end of said chute to restrain further movement of the tile therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,026,672 5/1912 Hanson 6172.5 2,815,726 12/1957 Davenport 6172.5

ANDRES H. NIELSEN, Primary Examiner.

U.S. Cl. X.R. 61-723, 725 

1. THE LAYING APPARATUS COMPRISING AN UPRIGHT FRAME ADAPTED TO BE HAULED ALONG A TILE-RECEIVING TRENCH, A DOWNWARDLY AND REARWARDLY INCLINED CHUTE ON SAID FRAME AND ALONG WHICH A COLUMN OF TILE ARE ADAPTED TO GRAVITATE, A PLATFORM AT THE UPPER END OF SAID CHUTE, AND ARRANGED HORIZONTALLY OVER WHICH TILE ARE ADVANCED TO SAID CHUTE, A TRAY ADJACENT THE LOWER END OF AND SEPARATE FROM SAID CHUTE AND OVER WHICH TILE TRAVEL AFTER LEAVING THE CHUTE, MEANS TO ADJUST SAID TRAY FOR VARYING THE SPACING BETWEEN ADJACENT TILE DELIVERED TO THE TRENCH, AND MEANS TO ENGAGE THE TILE IN THE TRENCH AND MILITATE AGAINST ADJACENT TILE CROWDING TOGETHER DUE TO THE THRUST OF TILE IN THE CHUTE. 